1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to network management techniques and, in particular, to a network management system and method for efficiently managing network elements that are utilized to transmit and/or process signals within a communication network.
2. Related Art
A conventional communication network, for example, the public switched telephone network (PSTN), often employs a large number of communication network elements for signal processing and routing. For example, when a customer subscribes for digital subscriber line (DSL) service, a network provider connects a communication device of the customer to a DSL network element, such as a DSL card, via a DSL line extending from a field office of the communication network to the customer's premises. The DSL card typically includes circuitry for controlling various attributes (e.g., line speed, error correction settings, etc.) of the DSL line.
Other customers also may subscribe for DSL services or other types of services offered by the network service provider. To provide such services, the network service provider may extend one or more communication connections from the premises of these other customers to the same field office. Various other network elements (e.g., DSL cards, IMA cards, ATMs, etc.) may be employed at the field office for controlling communication across these connections. Each of the aforementioned network elements is often positioned on one or more racks or chassis within the field office. Note that typical communication networks employ a large number of field offices similar to the one described above.
Over time, the configuration of the network elements within the network may need to be changed. For example, certain network elements (e.g., DSL cards) may need to be added as more customers subscribe for DSL service. When a network element is added, it should be initially provisioned based on the desired attributes of the communication line being serviced by the network element. Later, the same network element may be utilized to service a different customer requiring a change to the configuration of the network element. As an example, the new customer may be located a different distance from the field office of the network element, and it may be desirable, therefore, to change the line speed of the communication line serviced by the network element. Note that there are various other reasons why it may be desirable to control or change the configuration of a network element. Such reasons are well known in the art and will not be described in significant detail herein.
The process of monitoring the performance and/or changing the configuration of network elements can be a tedious and time consuming task due, in part, to the large number of network elements usually employed in implementing a conventional network. Previously, a technician would travel to various field offices to monitor and/or change the configurations of various network elements. However, the cost of utilizing such techniques to monitor and control the configurations of network elements increased dramatically as networks rapidly grew to service more customers.
To facilitate the monitoring and controlling of network elements, element management systems have been developed. An element management system (EMS) is essentially a server system that is communicatively coupled to the various network elements employed within a network. The EMS is also coupled to various computer terminals, often referred to as “clients.”
Moreover, a user located at a client may submit a request for monitoring the operation of a particular network element. The client communicates the request to the EMS, and in response, the EMS gathers the requested information and provides the requested information to the client. If the user desires to change the configuration of the network element, the user may submit another request that causes the EMS to change the configuration of the network element as desired. Thus, the EMS enables a user to remotely monitor and control various network elements without having to travel to the different field offices where the network elements reside.
In order to enable users to monitor and control network elements, the clients typically include software, such as JAVA, for example, that define graphical user interfaces for controlling the various types of network elements. For example, a first type of network element (e.g., an ADSL card) may control attributes different than the attributes controlled by a second type of network element (e.g., an IMA card). In such a case, software defining a graphical user interface (GUI) suitable for displaying and changing the attributes of the first type of network element and software defining a GUI suitable for displaying and changing the attributes of the second type of network element may be downloaded into the clients. A topology of the network may be displayed via the client, and the user may select one of the network elements of the topology. The GUI associated with the type of selected network element is then displayed and filled with attribute data that is gathered by the EMS and that pertains to the selected network element. Note that a selection of a different type of network element invokes a different GUI suitable for monitoring and controlling attributes for the different type of network element.
Often, it is desirable to update GUIs utilized to monitor and change network element attributes. For example, new types of network elements are often added to the network as new services become available. In order to enable the clients to monitor and control the new types of network interfaces, it is often necessary or desirable to download different types of GUIs into the clients. In another example, it may be desirable to change an existing GUI to accommodate changes to the network elements serviced by the existing GUI. The process of updating the GUIs can be a burdensome and time consuming task. Indeed, even the task of tracking which clients have been suitably updated and which clients need to be updated can be difficult and burdensome, particularly when a large number of clients are employed.
Furthermore, when multiple clients are employed within a network, it is sometimes possible for one client to display an obsolete set of attribute data for one or more network elements. In this regard, after one client has polled a particular network element to discover the element's attributes, another client may change the configuration of the element. Thus, once the change to the element's configuration occurs, the attribute data received by the one client no longer accurately reflects the state of the particular network element. As a result, the one client may indicate an erroneous or obsolete state of the changed element.
In addition, as the number of network elements and/or clients within a network grows, the amount of data communicated by the network's EMS typically increases. This can put a significant communication burden on the EMS and can cause some communication delays.
Thus, while the introduction of EMSs has greatly facilitated the process of monitoring and controlling network elements, current EMSs suffer from various drawbacks that generally decrease the overall efficiency and/or effectiveness of the EMSs.